The Rat Race winds its way through the grimy underbelly of Mumbai, through dimly lit alleys and crowded markets to tell the story of the city’s rat killers. The Rat Race 56min / Documentary / India SYNOPSIS Filmmaker – Miriam Chandy The Rat Race winds its way through the grimy underbelly of Mumbai, through dimly lit alleys and crowded markets to tell the story of the city’s rat killers. Using the vehicle of the rat the documentary explores issues of livelihood to paint a moving account of India at the crossroads. Hindi with English Subtitles Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us Tickets TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE TRAILER

Having recently arrived in America with her husband and son, Hema finds herself culturally displaced and must redefine her identity as a dependent mother. An encounter with a young Marathi man threatens to upend her already fragile existence. April 12, 2025 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere Hema USA, India | Short 2024 | 16 mins | Hindi, English TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF) PROOF Film Festival - Gold Jury Award Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) - Audience Choice Award After immigrating to Los Angeles from India with her husband and son, Hema finds herself navigating the daunting task of settling into American life while grappling with a deep yearning for her homeland. The complexities of cultural adjustment weigh heavily on her, and she seeks comfort and familiarity in maintaining connections to her roots. However, her delicate balance is unexpectedly disrupted when she crosses paths with a young Marathi man. This encounter stirs a mix of emotions within her, from nostalgia to uncertainty, threatening to unravel the fragile stability she has managed to establish in a foreign land. As she confronts this unexpected challenge, Hema is forced to reevaluate her identity and aspirations, torn between the pull of her past and the realities of her present life in America. Restoration Process About the Artist Ritvik Dhavale is a writer and director who has spent half his life in Pune, India, and the other half in Cupertino, California. This bicultural experience deeply influences his storytelling, which often explores themes of cultural assimilation and identity. Ritvik''s journey into filmmaking began in high school theater. He furthered his education by earning a B.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA in 2017. Professionally, he gained experience working as an assistant in the CAA Media Finance Group, served as a coordinator in the Sundance Feature Film Program, and was a creative assistant in the Netflix Original Independent Film Team before fully dedicating himself to filmmaking. Ritvik's unique perspective, shaped by his experiences in both India and the United States, continues to influence his work as he explores narratives that bridge these two worlds. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Ritvik Dhavale Writer: Ritvik Dhavale Producer(s): Aishwarya Sonar Shaurya Nanavati Film Editor: Raghav Puri Aashish D'Mello Featured Cast: Rajshri Deshpande Kapil Talwalkar Samrat Chakrabarti Neil Iyer Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Volunteer for the 2026 Indie Meme Film Festival (IMFF), April 22-26, in Austin, Texas! Volunteer for IMFF 2026 Become a part of our 11th annual film festival, meet the pioneers of independent South Asian cinema, and learn more about the Indie Meme community by volunteering for our 2026 festival! Sign up for an available time slot through the link below. For every four hours spent volunteering, you receive two tickets to any film playing at the festival (except during your volunteer slot). Contact volunteer@indiememe.org for more information on volunteering. SIGN UP TO BE A VOLUNTEER

A young girl unwittingly learns the rules of existence in a patriarchal world. April 19, 2024 at 6:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Ullarivu India | Short 2023 | 14 mins | Malayalam TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Mumbai Film Festival (2023) International Kolkata Short Film Festival (2024) Ullarivu is about a young girl's transformative journey from a carefree child of the earth into a cautious young girl in the world, as she pieces together the hidden meanings and unfair rules of the patriarchal world. Her love for nature and exploration comes to a standstill when she is forced to understand that her access to the world itself is limited due to her gender. Even though she is brought up in a loving, protective family, helmed by her father, the family dynamics are deeply rooted in patriarchal rules and values. In a world that assigns pink for girls and blue for boys at birth itself, it's only a matter of time until the rules of subjugation are inflicted upon even the most hungry, wild souls. Restoration Process About the Artist Sumi Mathai is an advertising professional turned filmmaker based in India. Her debut short film 'Detour' was selected as one of the 10 scripts to be produced by Jio Cinema, from a nationwide submission of 900+ entries. Detour premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival (2017), and won the Special Jury Mention. It was also screened at Indische Filmfestival Stuttgart, Bangalore International Short Film Festival, Bucharest ShortCut Cinefest, and IndoGerman Filmweek, Berlin. Ullarivu (The Awakening) is her second short film which she produced through a crowdfunding campaign, apart from writing and directing it. She is passionate about telling stories that explore lived experiences of young girls and women, with empathy and integrity. It is her hope that her stories can shift existing cultural narratives around womanhood, and also contribute towards building a world that is kinder and more inclusive. She is currently developing her first feature film screenplay which was one of the finalists at the Pitch Fest conducted by Screenwriters Association India. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sumi Mathai Writer: Sumi Mathai Producer(s): Sumi Mathai Film Editor: Abhishikta Kaila Featured Cast: Devananda Shamej, Pradeep Joseph, Nandini Gopalakrishna, Shivarchana Rajesh, Aksa Prasad, Minnu Elsa Joshy, Krishna Raj & Arun Kalabhavan Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A young boy addicted to iFatwa, an app that crowdsources religious death sentences, spends his days swiping on the lives of strangers. Back to Festival Program 1/2 Sat. April 15th @ 10:30AM AFS Cinemas Online April 28 - May 1 SWIPE Pakistan I 14 mins I Drama I Animation I Horror I 2020 Urdu w/ English subtitles BUY TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Official Selection of Annecy International Animation Film Festival, AnimaFest Zagreb, and Bengalura International Film Festival '21 A young boy addicted to iFatwa, an app that crowdsources religious death sentences, spends his days swiping on the lives of strangers. The second animated film created by the Lahore-based Puffball Studios, SWIPE is a confrontation of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, extrajudicial violence, and decreasing space for difference and expression. About the Artist Arafat Mazhar is the Director of Engage Foundation, where 9 years of research came together in the seminal report, “The Untold Truth of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws,” recognized for its rigor by human rights groups and academics. In 2019, Arafat launched the animation studio, Puffball. Puffball Studio’s debut film was the highly acclaimed Pakistani dystopian short, SHEHR-E-TABASSUM. The film takes inspiration from lessons learned on censorship while researching Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws to tell a poignant story about fear and freedom in in Pakistan today. SWIPE is the studio's second film and has screened at many of the world's leading festivals of animation. Trailer Credits Crew Writer/Director: Arafat Mazhar Producer(s): Arafat Mazhar Rasti Farooq Momin Masood Fatima Anwar Film Editor: Haseeb Rehman Sound Mix: Syed Umer Ahmed Featured Cast: Rasti Farooq Arafat Mazhar Fahad Shah Abeer Sheikh Animation: Syed Umer Ahmed Sanabil Hasan Salman Karim Hira Khan Arafat Mazhar Haseeb Rehman

Anaben Pawar is an elderly tribal woman accused of witchcraft. Through Ana’s story, we delve into a deep-rooted culture of patriarchy and examine one of the most monstrous attacks on women’s bodies in modern India: the witch-hunt. Back to Film Program IN THEATERS: Shorts Program 2 April 17th, 2022 AFS Cinema WATCH ONLINE: April 22-25th, 2022 Eventive Testimony of Ana India I 17 mins I Romance, Drama I 2022 I Hindi w/ English subtitles BUY & WATCH ONLINE Anaben Pawar is an elderly tribal woman accused of witchcraft in rural India. Through Ana's story, we delve into a deep-rooted culture of patriarchy and examine one of the most monstrous attacks on women's bodies in modern India: the witch-hunt. . This film plays with SHORTS PROGRAM 2 , in theaters and with the A MATTER OF SURVIVAL program online. WATCH IN THEATERS NOTE: This film is coming to theaters and our virtual cinema. About the Artist Sachin is an engineer turned filmmaker from India. He is currently studying and practicing film at The University of Texas- Austin as part of the MFA program in Film & Media Production. His short documentary, THE BUBBLEMAN, premiered at SXSW Denius Longhorn Showcase in 2019 and has played many festivals, including in Cine Las Americas Int'l Film Festival, Cinequest, & the 13th Annual Lone Star Film Festival. He also attended the Summer Filmmaking Initiation workshop at the Film & TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts, Prague. He strives to tell stories that demand urgent conversation and seeks to engage with people, places, and communities that are slowly disappearing. Through cinema, he aims to affirm their existence by preserving their lives and memories. He is a recipient of the prestigious President's Award for Global Learning for his upcoming thesis film. He is also a recipient of the Austin Film Society Grant for his pre-thesis film, TESTIMONY OF ANA. Trailer

Zahida arrives at a home for the elderly, believing her son will take her back after a week's stay.  Hesitant and apprehensive, she meets Farhat, who is full of hope. However, as the story unfolds, she realizes the future might be different from her expectations. ​ Back to Festival Program Texas Premiere Dry Leaves Pakistan I 10 mins I Drama I 2019 I Urdu w/ English subtitles Zahida arrives at a home for the elderly, believing her son will take her back after a week's stay. Hesitant and apprehensive, she meets Farhat, who is full of hope. Yet as the story unfolds, she realizes the future might be different from her expectations. Director's Note : All of my previous projects had a straightforward narrative, using verbal exposition to propel the story. With Dry Leaves , my goal was to avoid relying on dialogue, instead using framing, composition, and texture to communicate and emotionally connect to the viewers. The film uses 4:3 aspect ratio to give a confined look, the kind aged may people feel while living in a home. The disconnect from family can make one's life colorless, so black and white treatment is employed. + Screens with the feature film, SEVEN AND A HALF GET YOUR FESTIVAL BADGE VIRTUAL SCREENING : SAT. APRIL 24 - 7:30PM CT About the Artist Ali Sohail Jaura is an Independent filmmaker from Karachi, Pakistan with a penchant for evoking emotion and exploring styles of storytelling. In 2015, his debut short, PROHIBITED, won numerous awards around the globe, including Best Foreign Short at the LA Independent Film Awards. In 2017, his travel short, ARZ E PAKISTAN (Land of Pakistan), based on Northern Regions of the country, went on a winning streak and ranked in the Top 10 Tourism films of 2018 by CIFFT (Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique). His recent short film, NANU AUR MAIN (Grandpa and I), based on grandparent relationships, has been selected in some of the largest South Asian film festivals of USA. Thank you to our community partner(s) for this screening: the Austin Film Society, the Austin Film Commission, and SAIVA! Credits Crew Director: ALI SOHAIL JAURA Writer: MOHAMMAD BELAAL IMRAN Screenplay: AMMAR ZAFAR Producer(s): DHEERAJ JINDAL HAARIS PRAMANI SHAHWR NOORANI Editor: SYED MASHHOOD HUSSAIN JAFRI Cast SAMINA AHMAD as 'Zahida' DURDANA BUTT as 'Farhat' SAFIA BHALAISHA as 'Nurse' Cinematographer: REHMAN ALI MOHAMMAD BELAAL IMRAN Production Design: SYED TAHA ZAIDI Art Director: PARAS GUL Sound Design: ANSER SOOMRO Music : ASIF NOORANI

Stripped from nobility and forcibly married to an outcast by the monarchy, a noble woman fights to keep her dignity by rejecting to succumb to her destiny. Aamis India | Fiction | Drama, Horror | 2019 |108 min| Assamese; English subtitles Virtual IMFF 2020 Screening: Saturday, May 9 2020 | Screening : 8.30pm - 10.45pm Texas Premiere Zoom Q&A with Film-maker Bhaskar Hazarika Aamis is an Assamese love/horror story that centers desire, food and the social taboos. A lonely, married woman bonds with a younger man over their shared love of unusual foods. As their excursions become more adventurous, their relationship begins to take a dark turn. SYNOPSIS Married Niri shares a forbidden passion with Sumon, who introduces her to a world of fresh, wild delicacies. But as their unconsummated desire mounts, the two are pushed inexorably towards transgression and taboo. With Special Thanks to our Community Partner: DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Bhaskar Hazarika Bhaskar Hazarika received his MA in Film & Drama from the University of Reading (UK). Bhaskar’s debut film KOTHANODI (2015) was a recipient of Asian Cinema Fund’s Post Production and premiered at Busan International Film Festival 2015. Kothanodi also screened at BFI London Film Festival, Goteborg Film Festival and Jio MAMI Film Festival among "National-award winning director Bhaskar Hazarika says his brief stint in Bollywood left him with the memorable lesson that there is no respect for writers in the biggest film industry of the country. This, the director explained, was at a time when he was trying hard to make his work count in Bollywood, which remained largely unmoved by original, daring ideas. The director said he got the idea for Aamis while watching two people eat KFC chicken." src: Business Standard TRAILER STILLS SLIDE DECK 1/13 CREDITS Cast: LIMA DAS ARGHADEEP BARUAH NEETALI DAS Crew: Writer & Director - Bhaskar Hazarika Producers - Poonam Deol, Shyam Bora Co-Producers - Anshulika Dubey, Priyanka Agarwal Cinematography - Riju Das Editor - Shweta Rai Chamling Production Design - Manas Barua Music - Quan Bay Sound Design - Gautam Nair Re-Recording Mix - Ajaykumar P.B Sound Recordist - Debajit Gayan, Rukmajit Baruah Colourist - Mahak Gupta Costume Design - Meher Ahmed Casting - Ronald Hussain Make Up and Hair - Gautam Chaudhury VFX - Raakesh Medhi Production Control - Himen Bora Chief AD - Ghanashyam Kalita

Colours of Life explores a mother-daughter relationship & various shades of contemporary lives in India. Colours of Life 2018 ‧ 1h 52m / Bengali with English subtitles GET TICKETS DFW - Sunday, Aug 5th 2018 3:30pm SYNOPSIS Colours of Life is about a single working mother, Chandrima and her daughter Esha. After Chandrima husband tragic demise, the duo had none but each other. Chandrima being an independent woman raised her daughter all by herself. She never let the absence of a ‘male parent’ affect their bonding. Esha grows into adulthood, carried away in newfound freedom and distance starts to grow with her mother. Chandrima world is upside down when Esha tried a suicide-attempt discovering Esha is pregnant. The incident made Chandrima realize her professional life has failed to keep track of this change. They had become strangers under the same roof, as Chandrima comes to admit. Chandrima starts to introspect Esha’s perspective and discovers a side of her daughter she never knew. Chandrima with the strength of her love brings Esha back to a normal life. Esha too, comes to realize that Chandrima was always her closest friend. PRESENTED AT Tickets DFW Area Sunday, Aug 5th 2018 @ 3:30pm Angelika Film Center, Plano TX Bengali Film Festival of Dallas BUY TICKETS DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY - PRAKASH BHARADWAJ Prakash Bharadwaj is a multi talented actor from theatre, TV and film background in India. He has several credits of plays, TV series and films to his name. In 2017, Bharadwaj forayed into screenwriting and direction with his short film ‘Rishta’ and feature length ‘Colours of Life’. He has been working with filmstar Aamir Khan since 2006 in the film 'Rang De Basanti', and proudly claims to be the reason behind Amir’s impeccable Haryanvi accent in ‘Dangal’ blockbuster hit. Amir Khan appointed him as his personal dialogue couch on noticing Bharadwaj’s artistry. It’s more than a decade now, together they had worked on films like Talaash, Dhobi Ghat, Ghajni, and the forthcoming Thugs of Hindostan. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT The lifestyles of urban Indians are lacking genuine human interaction and emotions. Colours of Life is relevant for this message, especially for the younger generation. The film tries to explore the impact of this in our personal lives and extend to which it can damage our relationships. It also portrays the ongoing social debate – ‘pro-life’ vs. ‘pro-choice’ debate that is pertinent in the milieu of women empowerment in India. The film does not shy away from intriguing bold steps of portraying women as sole owner of their mind and body. The two women boldly live their life – as single mother who lost her husband and her twenty-year old daughter fighting an unwanted pregnancy. By incorporating psychiatric help in the form of home-based therapy not only humanizes the characters, but also normalizes the taboo regarding treatment of suicidal individuals. It is emotionally intense exploring various shades of contemporary lives.

To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tra¬dition-bound grandfather. Chuskit India | Feature | 90 Minutes | Ladakhi with English Subtitles, 2018 10/13/2019 | 1:00 - 3:30 pm Fun Movie Grill, Carrolton (DFW Area) (Formerly Venetian Cinemas) 2661 Midway Rd., Carrollton, Texas 75006 TICKETS SYNOPSIS To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tradition-bound grandfather. Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit's parents and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit's spirit alive. Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the reality he has chosen for her. TRAILER TICKETS On mobile device? Buy Tickets Tickets PRIYA RAMASUBBAN DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Priya Ramasubban is a reputed filmmaker who has traveled the world for over fifteen years making films for National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and other major international broadcasters. She is a storyteller at heart and has the ability to deal with complex subjects in a nuanced way allowing for textured interpretation. She has written and directed “Lost Kings of Israel” (National Geographic), “Divine Delinquents” (National Geographic), several episodes on the long-running series “Digging for the Truth” (History Channel), episodes on the series “Into the Unknown” (Discovery Channel), an episode on “Monster Fish” (National Geographic) and several others notable productions. Priya was one of the six people chosen from all over India as a part of a screenwriter’s lab organized by the National Film Development Corporation where she received an opportunity to evolve her story for Chuskit under the mentorship of award-winning Dutch writer Jolein Laarman. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Conversations with my sister, Vidya, sowed the seeds for my film ‘Chuskit’. Vidya has worked with the differently abled in Ladakh for almost a decade. She was instrumental in sending Sonam, a nine-year-old with cerebral palsy to school despite the arduous terrain in her remote Himalayan village. While working with Sonam, Vidya learnt of other such children who yearned to lead as normal a childhood as they could. Their stories were filled with pathos and hardships, yet not one of the children gave up their quest to go to school. That is why I shaped Chuskit’s character to be unrelenting and gave her the spunk to triumph over adversity. For most children outside the West, life as a differently abled person is tough at best and excruciatingly hard at worst. My wish is that a small measure of hope and inspiration stays with the audiences when they walk away from my film. CREDITS Editor Jabeen Merchant Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award winning children's film 'Chahutkan ki Mahabaharat'. Director of Photography Arvind Kannabiran A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My brother, Nikhil'. Production Design Aradhana Seth Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As an Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including ‘DAM/AGE’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’ for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth. Sound Design P.M. Saatheesh A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including ‘Mangal Pandey’, ‘Fakir of Venice’, and ‘Baahubali’. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on ‘Kumar Talkies’. CAST CREDITS Chuskit Jigmet Dewa Lhamo Dorje (Grandfather) Morup Namgyal (Padma Shri) Tsering (Mother) Yanchen Dolma Stobdan (Brother) Padma Chospel Sonam (Father) SS Wangchuk Norbu (Neighbour) Tsetan Angchok Angmo (Chuskit's friend) Stanzin Ngidon Deskit (Chuskit's friend) Yanchen Dolma Ahmad (Doctor) Satyadeep Misra CREW CREDITS Written and Directed by Priya Ramasubban Produced by Priya Ramasubban Director of Photography Arvind Kannabiran Production Design Aradhana Seth Costume Design Deepali Kosta Kabi Editor Jabeen Merchant Music Mathias Duplessy Sound Design Satheesh PM STILLS CHUSKITProduction still 4 CHUSKITProduction still 3 CHUSKIT_still1 CHUSKIT_still18 CHUSKIT_still9

The 2020 Indie Meme Film Festival jury and awards. Jury & Awards 2020 JURY AWARD WINNERS DOCUMENTARY JURY RAMA TIRU Jury, Documentary As a Commercial/Industrial photographer, Rama has completed many successful projects in India and Austin. Her art photography evolved from her prowess in classic commercial photography and her technical expertise in Digital techniques. and she has showcased her work in many solo and group art shows. Her breath-taking works of Tibet, Thailand, India, Japan, Peru, Bolivia have been showcased in various venues. She has created one of a kind images by experimenting with alternate image processing and transfers techniques on fabric, wood, and metal sheets. ANDREW LEE Jury, Documentary Andrew Lee began his film career after winning $210k+ in cash prizes on his short films. Andrew produced his first feature doc, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, co-produced SXSW 2017 Audience Award winning documentary Dealt & Slamdance Film Festival 2019 documentary Seadrift about the Vietnamese refugees that settled in Texas which won the 2019 Houston Film Critics TIFA Visionary Award and is set to broadcast on PBS in May 2020. His latest feature doc Jump Shot about the inventor of the basketball jump shot premiered at SXSW 2019 and is set to release digitally in May 2020. He currently serves as the board president of the Austin Asian American Film Festival WINNER WINNER NARRATIVE JURY CELESTE QUESADA Jury, Narrative Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Producer and Creative Director Celeste Quesada's 22+ year career has focused on promoting the finest talent that Texas has to offer. Her work ranges from the production of “one of a kind” special events to the development of integrated PR and marketing strategies that fuse graphic design, branding, web identity and social media. Quesada's client list includes working with legendary Austin musicians, filmmakers and fashionistas of all genres, local architects, designers and numerous non-profit clients including Austin Film Society, Fusebox Festival, SIMS Foundation, American Gateways, El Buen Samaritano, Forklift Danceworks, Chula League, Austin Chronicle and the Austin Music Awards. TIM TSAI Jury, Narrative Tim is a filmmaker whose feature directorial debut SEADRIFT chronicles the racial hostilities that erupted in violence during the early days of Vietnamese refugee arrival on the Texas gulf coast. The film premiered at Slamdance 2019 and will be broadcast on PBS in May, 2020. Previous work include a series of short films on early Chinese Texans for Austin PBS, and editing the non-narrative film YAKONA (SXSW '14 Audience Award) about the San Marcos River. He earned an MFA in film production from U.T. Austin, served as the former executive director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, and is a Firelight Media Documentary Labs fellow. SANDHYA SHARDANAND Jury, Narrative Sandhya Shardanand is an Austin-based producer who enjoys every step of taking stories from the page to the screen. Her most recent projects are Richard Linklater’s APOLLO 10 ½, which is currently in post-production; BULL, which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard; and SUPPORT THE GIRLS, which had its premiere at SXSW 2018. Previously she worked alongside director Terrence Malick on THE NEW WORLD, THE TREE OF LIFE and TO THE WONDER. She has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Special Mention SHORTS JURY ASAD KIRMANI Jury, Shorts Asad Kirmani is a Writer/Director and a practicing psychiatrist in Austin, TX. While in medical school he produced and directed All the Wrong Reasons, a full-length comedy feature about a hapless young medical student. While doing his psychiatric residency in New York City he produced and directed Curing Gender, a documentary about the history of psychiatry and transsexuality that has been used educationally by a number of hospitals and institutions across the country, and was shown at the 2013 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco. He has written and directed three short films, Stress Freud, Pornistan, and Hijabi. Pornistan won the 2013 Flatland Film Festival Chris Caddel Filmmaker Award and was a Finalist for Best Comedy Short at the 2014 Central Florida Film Festival. Hijabi premiered at the Brooklyn Short Film Festival in 2017. It was distributed through the online streaming service Seed&Spark, where it was featured on their “Must-See” list. He is currently in post-production on his fourth short film, How to Wash the Dead. GREG DAVIS Jury, Shorts Fate exerts a powerful pull on our lives. As Greg Davis knows, it can drag you through the mud before it shows you the light at the end of the tunnel. For Davis, fate is his quest for meaning, his desire to connect his experiences with those of people worlds apart. Born and raised in a small East Texas town, After 10 years in the tech sector, he quit his job and went on a yearlong global soul-searching expedition. Greg, who is represented by National Geographic Image Collection, worked his way from local festivals to international exhibitions. His first major solo exhibit for the Museum of the Southwest followed the stories of individual pilgrims to the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the largest religious pilgrimage in history, about which he also completed his first short documentary film, Cloth Paper Dreams. That led to a follow up film,“The Man From Mathura”, that is currently in production. LENG WONG Jury, Shorts Leng Wong is a producer and artist based in Austin, TX. As a producer, she has produced over 50 productions and events including theater, film, festivals, and community events, since 2012. Her latest project was producing the People of Color Comedy Festival (PoCCF), the first of its kind in Texas, in 2019. Leng was also the executive producer for the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) who successfully brought the festival back in 2014. She is the founder of Lucky Chaos, a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to produce works by artists from under-represented communities, with emphasis on personal stories. “Being an artist is about putting your soul out there, in spite of all the fears and doubts because it’s those fears and doubts that make us human and compel us to create.” WINNER AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Thank you to our lovely members for joining us on the virtual journey and putting in the votes for their favourites! The ballots have spoken and we were able to give pride of place to one of our favourite films! WINNER